IFP MEDIA STATEMENT BY: 
MR ALBERT MNCWANGO
IFP SPOKESPERSON ON SAFETY AND SECURITY

8 February 2008

The Inkatha Freedom Party would like to reiterate its view that the closure of the Scorpions will be detrimental to the country and our fight against crime in SA.

We are dismayed that President Thabo Mbeki did not clarify in his State of the Nation address today, whether or not the Scorpions will be dissolved or not.

It is clear that the disbanding of the Scorpions is a political decision and not a decision based on merit. If this ludicrous decision was based on merit there would be no reason for disbanding the unit, because the Scorpions has been extremely successful in combating corruption and other crimes.

The ruling party's rush to silence one of the country's top crime fighting units, that has consistently delivered, gives the impression of settling scores within the ANC given the personal stakes.

It is now also very clear that the ruling party will directly interfere in any institution without fear and it seems that there is an attack on the independence of state institutions.

Merging the Scorpions with the police will be a disaster for crime fighting because the expertise that the Scorpions will bring to the SAPS will be lost within the police system.

Furthermore, we would like to know from the President who will now be the gatekeepers of the police? Surely we can't expect the police to investigate corruption within its own ranks?

Government is giving the impression that they have misplaced priorities: the first priority appears to be getting rid of the Scorpions rather than trying to stop the surge of crime in SA. .